4 Ways to Get a Better Phone Deal
Updated: Mar. 20, 2019
Tired of paying too much for your cellphone? So are a lot of Canadians. Take a second and read some easy tips to cut your costs and get the most bang for your cellphone buck.
How to Get the Best Deal
Wonder why it’s hard to know if you have the right cellphone plan? Consider this tidbit from David Lemstra, creator of cellplanexpert.ca: There are 4,000 plans across Canada, but 18 million variations when you factor in all options. Here are four ways to get the best deal.
1. Put Your Cellphone Carrier to Work
Ask for a rate-plan analysis, which examines your usage patterns – including who, when and where you’re calling, and the volume of texts and calls – over recent months. Carriers will recommend a plan that better suits your needs, in order to keep you as a customer. But be careful not to fall for gimmicks and deals that may add more to your monthly bill in the end.
2. Do a Comparison of Cellphone Plans
It can be complex and time consuming to assess the choices on your own. Check out the free tools on cellplanexpert.ca and cellphones.ca. You can input information about your mobile needs on these websites, and get plan calculations and comparisons.
3. Don’t Get Locked into a Plan
To pay little for a phone up front, many consumers make the trade-off to committing to a long-term plan. Branden Shortt, founder of cellphones.ca, says that can be a mistake: “If you can afford it, paying more for the phone and getting the freedom of a shorter plan can have a great payback.” With better deals and low-cost competitors coming all the time, Shortt says you’re best off staying flexible.
4. Say You Want to Leave
It costs more to replace than to retain you, so carriers have an incentive to offer you concessions. Say you want to leave and they’ll connect you with the retention department, where they can offer you a plan that may entice you to stay, says Shortt. Long-time customers will usually get the best deals.
